High hopes for embryo research 

Source: Reuters

It is hoped that embryo research in New Zealand could hold the key to miraculous interventions for many diseases.

The Advisory Committee on Assisted Reproductive Technology has recommended surplus embryos left over from fertility treatment be used for research.

The Committee made the recommendation to the Labour government in June last year but no action was taken.

Such a move would be controversial, with Right To Life spokesman Ken Orr saying there needs to be a line in the sand on this issue.

Bio-ethics Professor Donald Evans from Otago University says the earliest human embryo is a single cell which develops into bodies that contain more than 200 kinds of tissue.

He says a significant scientific step would be made if it was known how the tissue grew naturally in the first place.

Evans also says embryo research could give better insights into reproduction and the various problems people might have in the very early stages of pregnancy.

There is research on human embryos in most countries, but with very careful regulations.

Evans says in some places there always has to be approval by an independent ethics committee, but the most liberal regulations are in the UK where it is possible for embryos to actually be created for research.